HC asks Punjab govt to file status report on 13 toll plazas ‘taken over’ by protesters

Chandigarh, Jan 12 (PTI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Punjab government on Thursday to file a status report on 13 toll plazas in the state that have allegedly been taken over by certain protesters.

The directions came after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) moved the court on Tuesday, seeking a resumption of the operations of the toll plazas.

A bench of Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj also issued a notice of motion to the state of Punjab and other officials in the matter.

The court also directed the chief secretary and director general of police to comply with the terms of the state support agreement, which was executed between the Punjab government and the Centre, with regard to their obligation to provide security to all the 34 toll plazas established by the NHAI in the state to ensure their smooth functioning, NHAI’s counsel Chetan Mittal said.

The senior counsel further said the court also asked the Punjab government what action was taken about the 13 toll plazas taken over by the protesters.

A direction was issued to the CS and the DGP to file a status report and an action-taken report in respect of the 13 toll plazas, including one that is allegedly being run by the protesters who are also collecting the toll fee from the commuters, Mittal said.

The NHAI had also pointed out that nothing was done by Punjab government officials in the last two days in relation to these toll plazas.

The court has fixed February 16 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

In its petition, the NHAI had said it was facing a daily loss of Rs 1.33 crore because of the prevention of toll collection by the protesters at these toll plazas.

It was also submitted that the 13 toll plazas were forcibly taken over by the protesters and the toll collection was stopped at 12 of those.

The petition claims that the protesters are illegally operating one of the toll plazas at Kot Karor in Ferozepur by collecting money from the commuters.

A farmers’ body has been staging protests at various toll plazas in Punjab since December 15, demanding farm loan waiver, remunerative prices for their crops and compensation for crop damage.